Conversion of harvester picking head

ABSTRACT

Described herein is rail assembly  302 , which may comprise rail  322  mechanically coupled to oscillating members  305  and  307 . In operation, oscillating members  305  and  307  may reciprocate about vertical axes  352  and  353  of vertical shafts  309  and  311 , respectively. Reciprocation of the oscillating members may cause rail  322  to travel in arcuate paths  802  and  804 . Arcuate paths  802  and  804  may be located in a two-dimensional plane which is perpendicular to vertical shafts  309  and  311 . Rail  322  may impart a force on the trunk of a vine so as to dislodge the fruit from the vine.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a nonprovisional of and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/042,241, filed 26 Aug. 2014, which isincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for theconversion of a bow rod harvester to provide the functionality of atrunk shaker harvester.

BACKGROUND

There are generally two types of grape harvesters, as characterized byits picking head (e.g., apparatus which is anchored to the frame of theharvester and used to dislodge fruit from fruit-bearing plant, vineand/or tree): (1) a bow rod shaker harvester and (2) a trunk shakerharvester. A bow rod harvester typically includes a head assembly with aset of flexible bow rods (or beaters) that are situated on both sides ofa vine (or tree) row. In operation, the bow rods strike the canopy athigh speed or shake the canopy in order to dislodge the fruit. As such,bow rod harvesters may also be referred to as canopy or foliage shakers.Bow rod harvesters are typically used when the vines are young withtrunks that could be severed or severely damaged with the use of a trunkshaker harvester. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,291 to Jarmain.

A trunk shaker harvester typically includes a head assembly with twoparallel rails (or bars) that are situated on each side of a vine (ortree) row. The rails are perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to thevine trunk. In operation, the trunk shaker head is moved side to side(e.g., oscillating like a pendulum about an axis parallel to thedirection of travel of the harvester), allowing the rails to shake thevine trunk. For example, the trunk shaker head moves the vine with grapeberries to the right, in a direction perpendicular to the vine row, andwhile the grape berries are moving to the right, the head reversesdirection, causing the berries to dislodge from the vine. See, e.g.,U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,426 to Orlando et al.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment, a bow rod harvester is converted intoa trunk shaker harvester. Bow rods may be detached from first and secondoscillating members of a bow rod harvester, wherein the firstoscillating member is configured to reciprocate about a first verticalaxis of a first vertical shaft and the second oscillating member isconfigured to reciprocate about a second vertical axis of a secondvertical shaft. A shaker rail, having at least one substantially linearportion adapted to impart a force on a trunk, may be mechanicallycoupled to the first and second oscillating members.

In accordance with one embodiment, the drive mechanism of the bow rodharvester may be reconfigured in the process of converting the bow rodharvester into the trunk shaker harvester. In the bow rod harvester, thefirst vertical shaft may be mechanically coupled to the second verticalshaft via a first drive element such that reciprocation of the firstvertical shaft about the first vertical axis causes the second verticalshaft to reciprocate about the second vertical axis. In the conversionprocess, the first drive element may be replaced with a second driveelement so as to increase the torque imparted on the second verticalshaft.

In accordance with one embodiment, a harvester comprises a firstvertical shaft configured to reciprocate about a first vertical axis,and a second vertical shaft configured to reciprocate about a secondvertical axis. A shaker rail, having at least one substantially linearportion adapted to impart a force on a trunk, may be mechanicallycoupled to the first and second vertical shafts. Reciprocation of thefirst and second vertical shafts about their respective vertical axesmay cause the shaker rail to move from a first position to a secondposition and from the second position back to the first position. Theshaker rail may move in an arcuate path which is located in atwo-dimension plane that is perpendicular to the first and secondvertical shafts.

These and other embodiments of the invention are described in detailbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a front view of a harvester, in accordance with oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts a front interior view of a bow rod harvester.

FIG. 3 depicts a front interior view of a trunk shaker harvester, inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a back interior view of a portion of a rail assembly of atrunk shaker harvester, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts a front interior view of a portion of a drive mechanismof a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of a trunk shaker harvester, inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a top view of rail assemblies of a trunk shaker harvesterat two time points, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts a time progression of the top view of a rail assembly ofa trunk shaker harvester, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of a rail assembly of a trunk shakerharvester, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of a dual-pivot fastener (used tofasten a rail to a rail support), in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 11 depicts a flowchart of a process to convert a bow rod harvesterinto a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 12 depicts a flowchart of a process to harvest fruit from a fruitbearing plant using a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance with oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts a front view of a harvester, in accordance with oneembodiment. Harvester 100 includes straddling frame 102 supported bywheels (such as 104 and 106). Harvester 100 also includes an engine (notdepicted) that provides motive power to the wheels and harvester head.For simplicity, the description will make reference to harvestinggrapes, but those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that avariety of crops (e.g., almonds, pistachios, coffee, citrus, etc.) canbe harvested in accordance with techniques and aspects of the presentinvention. Straddling frame 102 carries or supports a harvestingapparatus (e.g., harvesting head) configured to detach grapes fromvines.

FIG. 2 depicts a front interior view of a bow rod head of a bow rodharvester. The front interior view is viewed from the front of theharvester (e.g., front of the harvester depicted in FIG. 1). The bow rodhead includes two identical (or nearly identical) bow rod assemblies 200and 202 (with only a portion of bow rod assembly 200 shown). The bow rodassemblies 200 and 202 are disposed on opposite sides of the interior ofthe harvester. Bow rod assembly 200 is intended to be positioned on afirst side of a vine row, while bow rod assembly 202 is intended to bepositioned on a second side of the vine row. With some bending orflexing of bow rods (e.g., 210 a-d, collectively 210), vines (notdepicted) are allowed to pass between the bow rod assemblies. The paththrough the bow rod assemblies is denoted by centerline 201.

Primary drive connecting rod 203 is mechanically coupled to verticalshaft 207; vertical shaft 207 is mechanically coupled to oscillatingmember 205; and oscillating member 205 is mechanically coupled to bowrods 210. Secondary drive connecting rod 208 is mechanically coupled tovertical shaft 207 and vertical shaft 206 (hidden behind oscillatingmember 204). Vertical shaft 206 is mechanically coupled to oscillatingmember 204; and oscillating member 204 is also mechanically coupled tobow rods 210. As shown, bow rods 210 are connected to oscillatingmembers 204 and 205 at vertically distributed positions thereof.

In operation, primary drive connecting rod 203 is driven by a linkagethat is coupled through a knuckle to a rotation element. Primary driveconnecting rod 203 reciprocates vertical shaft 207 about vertical axis212, which in turn reciprocates oscillating member 205 about verticalaxis 212. Reciprocation of vertical shaft 207 about vertical axis 212causes secondary drive connecting rod 208 to reciprocate vertical shaft206 about vertical axis 214. Reciprocation of vertical shaft 206 in turnreciprocates oscillating member 204 about vertical axis 214.Reciprocation of oscillating members 204 and 205 cause bow rods 210 toshake.

Although not depicted in FIG. 2, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that bow rod assembly 200 may contain the same elements as bowrod assembly 202 (e.g., two oscillating members, two vertical shafts, aprimary drive connecting rod, a secondary drive connecting rod, etc.).

FIG. 3 is an interior view of a harvester originally intended to befitted with a bow rod head and now having been converted into a trunkshaker harvester, in accordance with one embodiment. The interior viewis viewed from the front of the harvester in FIG. 1 and looking to theback of the harvester in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 depicts the bow rod harvestershown in FIG. 2 after removal of the bow rod assemblies and introductionof rail assemblies 300 and 302 (e.g., by bolting the rail assemblies tooscillating members 304, 305, 306 and 307). By using bolts to connectthe rail assemblies to the oscillating members, conversion of theharvester from a bow rod head shaker can be completed quickly, e.g.,within 90 min or so.

It is noted that oscillating member 305 of FIG. 3 may correspond tooscillating member 204 of FIG. 2, and oscillating member 307 of FIG. 3may correspond to oscillating member 205 of FIG. 2. Vertical shaft 309may correspond to vertical shaft 206, and vertical shaft 311 maycorrespond to vertical shaft 207. Further, primary drive connecting rod346 may correspond to primary drive connecting rod 203.

In one embodiment, rail assemblies 300 and 302 may be identical, asshown in FIG. 3. In another embodiment, rail assemblies 300 and 302 maydiffer from one another, for example, with respect to the position ofthe drive connecting rods, rail size, rail weight, rail dimensions,and/or another feature.

In one embodiment, rail assemblies 300 and 302 may be disposed onopposite sides of the interior of the harvester. Rail assembly 300 isintended to be positioned on a first side of a vine row, while railassembly 302 is intended to be positioned on a second side of the vinerow. Vines (not depicted) are allowed to pass between the railassemblies. The path through the rail assemblies is denoted bycenterline 301.

In one embodiment, rail assembly 300 includes oscillating members 304and 306. Oscillating member 304 may be attached to vertical shaft 308and oscillating member 306 may be attached to vertical shaft 310. In asimilar manner, rail assembly 302 includes oscillating members 305 and307. Oscillating member 305 may be attached to vertical shaft 309 andoscillating member 307 may be attached to vertical shaft 311. Thevertical shafts 308, 309, 310 and 311 each oscillate, rotate, and/orpivot about their respective longitudinal, vertical axes (e.g., 318,352, 319 and 353, respectively).

In one embodiment, drive support 312 is attached to oscillating member304 to support the first drive element(s) of rail assembly 300, such assecondary drive connecting rod 314. The drive 380 (described in moredetail in FIG. 6) powers a first set of drive elements for rail assembly300 and a second set of drive elements for rail assembly 302. Railassembly 300 may have a primary drive connecting rod 344 as a link fromthe crankshaft (not shown) to a drive connecting rod connector 348 ofvertical shaft 310 to which rail 320 is attached. Although embodimentsare described with the use of rails, those of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that ski rods, rods, tubing, square tubing, and/or anycylindrical-shaped object can be utilized within rail assemblies 300 and302.

The secondary drive connecting rod 314 of rail assembly 300 is connectedto drive connecting rod connector 348 and drive support 312. Drive 380causes the primary drive connecting rod 344 and the secondary driveconnecting rod 314 to move, and in turn, the primary and secondary driveconnecting rods cause the vertical shafts (e.g., 308 and 310) to pivotand/or oscillate about their respective vertical axes (e.g., verticalaxis 318 for vertical shaft 308 and vertical axis 319 for vertical shaft310). Drive 380 with the use of the primary and secondary driveconnecting rods further causes the rail 320 to move toward centerline301 in a direction as denoted by F to dislodge the fruit, andsubsequently retract in the direction opposite to F.

More specifically, rail 320 may impart a force on a trunk of a fruitbearing plant (i.e., fruit bearing plant including a tree, vine, bush,shrub, herb, etc.) so as to dislodge the fruit from the fruit bearingplant. It is understood that some plants, such as a bush or a vine(e.g., raspberry vine), may not have a single well-defined verticalwoody growth, but rather a collection of branches and/or vines (with orwithout woody growth) that grow vertically or at an angle from theground and/or soil. The term “trunk” is meant to encompass a trunk inthe conventional fashion (with a single well-defined vertical woodygrowth) as well as a collection of branches and/or vines. Moregenerally, rail 320 may impart a force on a post (e.g., base of atrellis, stake, etc.) that supports the fruit bearing plant, the forceon the post being subsequently transmitted to the fruit bearing plant atlocation(s) that the fruit bearing plant is mechanically coupled to thepost. Therefore, fruit may even be dislodged without rail 320 directlyengaging any portion of the fruit bearing plant.

Drive support 313 is similarly provided for the second drive element(s),such as secondary drive connecting rod 315 of rail assembly 302. Railassembly 302 has primary drive connecting rod 346 as a link from thecrankshaft (not shown) to a drive connecting rod connector 350 ofvertical shaft 311 to which rail 322 is attached. Secondary driveconnecting rod 315 of rail assembly 302 may be connected to driveconnecting rod connector 350 and drive support 313. The drive causesprimary drive connecting rod 346 and secondary drive connecting rod 315to move, and in turn, the primary and secondary drive connecting rodscause the vertical shafts (i.e., 309 and 311) to pivot and/or oscillateabout their respective longitudinal, vertical axes (e.g., vertical axis352 for vertical shaft 309 and vertical axis 353 for vertical shaft311). The drive causes rail 322 to move toward the centerline 301 in adirection as denoted by G to dislodge the fruit, and subsequently toretract in a direction opposite to G. The first and second driveelements can cause the rails 320 and 322 to strike the grape vine trunksin unison, one rail after the other rail, in timed phase relations,and/or in another time sequence as desired. In other embodiments,multiple drives can be used to drive the primary and secondaryconnecting rods of each rail assembly.

The location of the secondary drive connecting rod (e.g., 314 and 315)as supported by the corresponding drive support (e.g., 312 and 313) maybe selected from any number of positions on the oscillating member(e.g., 304 and 305). In some embodiments, the secondary drive connectingrod of each respective drive is positioned to ensure there is sufficienttorque to rotate the vertical shafts (e.g., 308 and 310, and 309 and311) of the rail assembly (e.g., 300 and 302) with the additional weightof the rail (e.g., 320 and 322) and/or additional supports provided withthe conversion (e.g., drive supports, rail supports, and supportconnectors). The location of the secondary drive connecting rod (e.g.,314 and 315) may be selected (such as near or at the top of theoscillating members 304 and 305 as shown) to allow for the secondarydrive connecting rod (e.g., 314 and 315) to handle more weight from therespective rail (e.g., 320 and 322) and additional supports.

By way of further example, the selected location of the secondary driveconnecting rod may permit the rail (e.g., 320 and 322) to be supportedapproximately equidistant from the front and back ends thereof. Forexample, one or more drive element(s) (e.g., a drive connecting rod 208)as shown in FIG. 2 may be relocated from midway between the verticalshafts of the bow rod head to the top of oscillating member 305 of theconverted assembly 302 thereof to ensure that there is sufficient torqueto rotate vertical shafts 309 and 311 with rail 322 attached to railsupports 325 and 327 at distances approximately equidistant from thefront end 329 and the back end 331. Those of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that there may be a variety of factors that influence theselection of the location of the secondary drive connecting rod of eachassembly to ensure there is enough torque including, but not limited to,the position of the rail in relation to the supports, the position ofthe rail in relation to the vertical shafts, the weight of the rail, thedimensions of the rail, the materials used to make the rails and/orsupports, and/or another factors.

In some embodiments, the location of the secondary drive connectingrod(s) may be related to the weight of the rail and/or supports. By wayof example, the relocation of secondary drive connecting rod 314 andsecondary drive connecting rod 315 from midway between the verticalshafts (e.g., position of 208 in FIG. 2) to at or near the top of theoscillating members may permit rails 320 and 322 to have a weight thatis light enough so as to not destroy the converted bow rod harvesterwhen the rails of rail assemblies 300 and 302 are in use (e.g., strikingthe trunks of the vines), and/or ensure that the rails 320 and 322 ofthe rail assemblies 300 and 302 have a sufficient weight to avoidfracture during use. In one embodiment, drive connecting rod 208 isre-used as drive connecting rod 315.

The weight, size, dimensions, and materials used for the rails and/orcorresponding supports may be selected to ensure that there issufficient weight to dislodge the fruit, as well as to ensure that therails do not fracture and/or cause destruction to the harvester (e.g.,shake the harvester to the point that components start to break). Insome embodiments, the rails are made from metal and have a diameter ofat least two inches. By way of example, the rails may be formed from achromium molybdenum alloy.

Rail supports 324 and 326 may be positioned with respect to rail 320 soas to evenly distribute the weight of rail 320 to rail supports 324 and326. For example, rail supports 324 and 326 may be connected to the rail320 at positions approximately equidistant from the front end 328 andback end 330 thereof. In some embodiments, a support connector 332 maybe placed between the rail 320 and rail supports 324 and 326. Thesupport connector 332 of rail assembly 300 and support connector 333 ofrail assembly 302 may strengthen the respective rails and make therespective rails they support more rigid. The strength and rigidity ofthe rails may be beneficial to ensure that the rails do not fractureduring use.

Support connectors 332 and 333 may allow for attachment of therespective rail supports (e.g., 324, 325, 326 and 327) such that theweight of the rails (e.g., 320 and 322) is more evenly distributed. Byway of example, the support connector may be configured to receive therail supports at points (e.g., points A and B as shown) that divide therails (individually) into approximately three equal lengths. The supportconnectors (332 and 333) may provide rigidity and strength to keep therails lightweight, without risk of fracture during use. The supportconnector may also allow for redistribution of weight (e.g.,approximately even distribution) to ensure that even the use of heavierrails (e.g., heavier than bow rods) does not destroy the harvester. Insome embodiments, support connectors 332 and 333 are created from steelsquare tubing with box weldments affixed to the square tubing that areconfigured to receive the rail supports (e.g., 324, 326, 325 and 327).

The support connector (e.g., 332 and 333) may provide a way to use railsfrom existing trunk shakers and adjust the points that rail supports areattached. By way of example, the trunk shaker rails from conventionaltrunk shakers may not allow for connecting rail supports at points thatallow for redistribution of weight and/or approximately evenlydistribute the weight to the rail supports. The support connector (e.g.,332 and 333) may be secured to existing rails from traditional trunkshakers and provide a plurality of locations to connect support arms atpoints that redistribute weight and/or reposition the rails. By way offurther example, attachment of existing trunk shaker rails from aconventional trunk shaker would make the distance between point A and330 much longer than the distance between point B and 328.

Rail supports 324 and 326 (and rail supports 325 and 327) may be viewedas connecting arms. In some embodiments, the rail supports are weldmentscreated from steel plate. In some embodiments, parallelogram shapedplates and/or triangular shaped plates (e.g., steel plate) are weldedtogether to form connecting arms that serve as rail supports. By way ofexample, parallelogram shaped steel plates are welded together to formtubular shaped weldments 360 and 362. Tubular shape weldments 360 and362 are welded to four triangular prism shaped weldments (e.g., 364,366, 368 and 370) that meet at a square shaped steel plate 372, and thefour triangular prism shaped weldments (e.g., 364, 366, 368 and 370) arewelded to plate 372. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognizethat weldments of various shapes (and various materials) may serve as arail support.

The rail support (e.g., 324, 326, 325 and 327) may have any number ofarms (e.g., 334, 340, 335 and 341) extending out from the respectiverail support connected to the straddling frame, oscillating member,vertical shaft, and/or any other part of the harvester. The rail support(e.g., 324, 326, 325 and 327) may be connected to a respective railsupport plate (e.g., 336, 342, 337 and 343) and secured to therespective oscillating member (e.g., 304, 306, 305 and 307). The railsupport plate (e.g., 336, 342, 337 and 343) may be secured to theoscillating member (e.g., 304, 306, 305 and 307) using any type ofsecuring mechanism including, but not limited to, bolts (e.g., 338),welds, and/or any other mechanism to connect the rail support plate 336to the oscillating member 304.

FIG. 4 is a back interior view of an exemplary conversion of harvesterwith a bow rod head into a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance withone embodiment. The back interior view is viewed from the back of theharvester in FIG. 1 and looking to the front of the harvester in FIG. 1.FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the rail 320, support connector 332, andrail supports 324 and 326 of rail assembly 300. Those with skill in theart will recognize that the back of the supports and rail 322 of railassembly 302 may have a similar design. Each rail support 324 and 326may have additional corresponding support arms 334 and 340. The supportarms may be secured to the rail support using any securing mechanismincluding, but not limited to, bolting the support arm to the railsupport, welding the support arm to the rail support, and/or anothersecuring mechanism.

The rail supports 324 and 326 may be secured to (e.g., bolted to) railsupport plates 336 and 342, respectively, with a securing mechanism. Therail supports 324 and 326 may be fastened to their respective verticalshafts 308 and 310 (e.g., beater posts of a harvester) with vinerow-facing rail support plates 336 and 342 and straddling frame-facingrail support plates 402 (support plate 402 being partially obstructed)and 400. In some embodiments, the straddling frame-facing rail supportplates are beater arm clamps that are secured to the vertical shaft.Although not depicted in FIG. 4, those with skill in the art willrecognize that rail assembly 302 may have a similar construction.

FIG. 5 is a front interior view of a conversion of a harvester with abow rod head into a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance with oneembodiment. The front interior view is viewed from the front of theharvester in FIG. 1 and looking to the back of the harvester in FIG. 1.In particular, FIG. 5 is a close up view of the drive elements of therail assembly 300. Drive support 312 may be attached to oscillatingmember 304 to support the secondary drive connecting rod 314. Thesecondary drive connecting rod 314 may be secured to a secondaryconnecting rod weldment 502 attached to a vine row facing drive supportplate 500 of drive support 312. The secondary connecting rod weldment502 may be a weldment formed from metal plates (e.g., steel) that isshaped like a shelf configured to receive secondary drive connecting rod314 and allow secondary drive connecting rod 314 to be secured tosecondary connecting rod weldment 502. While shaped like a shelf in someembodiments, secondary connecting rod weldment 502 may be any shape thatcan receive and allow secondary drive connecting rod 314 to be secured.A secondary connecting rod (e.g., 314 and 315) may be a tie rod withball joints on ends 508 and 510 thereof. The vine row-facing drivesupport plate 500 may be secured around vertical shaft 308 by a securingmechanism (e.g., bolts 338) affixed to a companion straddlingframe-facing drive support plate 504 (e.g., a weldment clamp).

As mentioned above, secondary connecting rod weldment 502 may have anydesired shape to receive secondary drive connecting rod 314, allowsecondary drive connecting rod 314 to be secured to the secondaryconnecting rod weldment 502 (as shown, secured with bolt 506), and allowthe secondary drive connecting rod 314 to rotate, pivot, and/oroscillate vertical shaft 308 along longitudinal, vertical axis 318. Thesecondary drive connecting rods (e.g., 314 and 315) may be modified insize from the size used with the bow rod harvester (e.g., shortened) toreduce the angular displacement of the vertical shafts (e.g., 308 and309) about their respective axes. Reducing the angular displacement(e.g., from 40° to 30°) may be necessary to counter the increasedtorsional stress on the vertical shafts caused by replacing the lighterbow rods with the heavier rails. To elaborate, the torsional stress onthe vertical shafts peaks when the rails reverse their direction oftravel. If the angular displacement were not adjusted, there is anincreased chance that the heavier rails could severely damage thevertical shaft at the moment when the rails reverse their direction ofmovement.

A first end 508 of the secondary drive connecting rod 314 is secured tosecondary connecting rod weldment 502 and a second end 510 of thesecondary drive connecting rod 314 is configured to be received by driveconnecting rod connector 348 and secured into place using a securingmechanism (e.g., bolts). In some embodiments, the second end 510 ofsecondary drive connecting rod 314 is a plate that may be secured intoplace on the drive connecting rod connector 348.

Drive connecting rod connector 348 is affixed to vertical shaft 310, anddrive connecting rod connector 348 is configured to receive secondarydrive connecting rod 314 and primary drive connecting rod 344. Driveconnecting rod connector 348 is secured to a vertical shaft shelf 512(partially obscured by drive connecting rod 314) of vertical shaft 310.Although FIG. 5 describes rail assembly 300, those with skill in the artwill recognize that such description is applicable to the elements ofrail assembly 302.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of a schematic of a conversion ofharvester with a bow rod head into a trunk shaker harvester, inaccordance with one embodiment. In FIG. 6, bow rods (e.g., from FIG. 2)have been removed and rails 320 and 322 have been introduced (i.e.,disposed on opposite sides to form and define a passage between the railassemblies). The rail assemblies may utilize the existing verticalshafts (e.g., 308, 310, 309 and 311), oscillating members (e.g., 304,306, 305 and 307), the drive, and primary drive connecting rods 344 and346 of the bow rod shaker assemblies depicted in FIG. 2.

The secondary drive connecting rods 314 and 315 may be removed from bowrod drive connecting rod elements (e.g., 600, 602, 604, and 606) on thevertical shafts for the conversion from the bow rod harvester FIG. 2. Insome embodiments, the bow rod drive connecting rod elements arebrackets. After the secondary drive connecting rods 314 and 315 areremoved, the secondary drive connecting rod 314 may be secured to drivesupport 312 and secondary drive connecting rod 315 may be secured to thedrive support 313 (mostly obscured in the illustration). The railassemblies 300 and 302 may introduce drive supports 312 and 313 to allowfor relocation of secondary drive connecting rods 314 and 315 from theirlocation in FIG. 2 (e.g., midway between in connectors 600 and 602, and604 and 606).

Drive supports 312 and 313 may allow a user (e.g., mechanic) to positionsecondary drive connecting rods 314 and 315 at any vertical locationalong the oscillating members. By way of example, the secondary driveconnecting rod 314 is secured to the drive support 312 that ispositioned at or near the top of the oscillating member 304. Those withskill in the art will recognize that drive support 312 may be positionedat any vertical location along oscillating member 304 in order torelocate secondary drive connecting rod 314.

Drive connector 348 is configured to receive secondary drive connectingrod 314 and secondary drive connecting rod 314 may be secured to driveconnector 348. Drive connector 348 may be an existing drive connector asprovided with the bow rod harvester in FIG. 2. In other embodiments, thedrive connector 348 may be modified to accommodate secondary driveconnecting rod 314 using any available method including, but not limitedto, moving the primary drive connecting rod 344 to make room for anotherdrive connecting rod, increasing the size of the existing driveconnector, and/or adding a new drive connector. In some embodiments, anew drive connector may be added to the vertical shaft 310, theoscillating member 306, and/or another element of the assembly 300. Byway of example, a drive connector similar to 602 may be added to anelement of the assembly 300 (e.g., vertical shaft 310, oscillatingmember 306). Although an example is provided for secondary driveconnecting rod 314, those with skill in the art will recognize this isprovided for ease of description, and the example is equally applicableto secondary drive connecting rod 315 and drive support 313.

Drive support 312 may be secured to vertical shaft 308 and oscillatingmember 304 using plates 538 and 504. A similar construction is providedfor drive support 313. A drive connecting rod-receiving element (e.g.,drive support 312 and 313) may be secured to an element of the rail headassembly (e.g., 300 and 302) using another method and/or other elementsincluding, but not limited to, using a single plate with a driveconnecting rod receiving element secured to the oscillating member,securing a drive connecting rod receiving element to the vertical shaftand/or oscillating member, and/or another method for securing a driveconnecting rod receiving element. The drive connecting rod-receivingelement may be any type, shape and created from any material desired.For example, drive connecting rod receiving element may be drive support312, bow rod drive connecting rod element 600, drive connector 348,and/or any other type or shape desired.

To convert the bow rod assemblies to trunk shaker rail assemblies (e.g.,300 and 302), rails (320 and 322) and accompanying supports (e.g.,support plates 336 and 402, support connector 332, arm support 334 andrail support 324) may be secured to the vertical shaft (e.g., 308) andoscillating member (e.g., 304). Although a particular construction foraccompanying supports for rails 320 and 322 is described, those withskill in the art will recognize that any construction of a rail supportmay be used to secure the rail to a vertical shaft and/or oscillatingmember, and be used with the methods and systems described herein forrelocating the secondary drive connecting rod.

For ease of description, the accompanying supports for rail 320 will bedescribed, but those with skill in the art will recognize the methodsand systems for rail assembly 300 are applicable to rail assembly 302.Vine-facing support plate 336 is secured using a securing mechanism(e.g., bolts 338) to oscillating member 304 and frame-facing supportplate 402. In turn, support plate 336 is also affixed to vertical shaft308. In some embodiments, a single support plate may be used.

In one embodiment, rail support 324 may be affixed to support plate 336and may have any number of arm supports (e.g., one as shown with 334, aplurality of arm supports, or no arm supports). Arm support 334 may besecured to the back of support plate 402 (e.g., in the fashion similarto how arm supports 335 and 341 are secured to support plates 608 and610, respectively). Rail support 324 may be secured to support plate 336using any securing mechanism (e.g., welds, bolts). In other embodiments,rail support 324 may be secured directly to oscillating member 304and/or vertical shaft 308. Support connector 332 may be used to connectrail 320 to rail support 324. In other embodiments, a support connectormay not be used. The materials used for the elements of rail assemblies300 and 302 may be metal, plastic, another material, and/or combinationthereof.

Similar to rail assembly 300, in rail assembly 302, rail 322 may besupported by support connector 333, rail supports 325 and 327, armsupports 335 and 341, and support plates 608 (e.g., companion to supportplate 337, not shown) and 610 (e.g., companion to support plate 343, notshown).

As shown, the drive including pinch drum 612 transfers power from theharvester engine to drive eccentrics 614 and 616, and cause thepivoting, rotating, and/or oscillation of the vertical shafts. In someembodiments, the drive causes the vertical shafts to reciprocate backand forth in unison.

FIG. 7 depicts a top view of rail assemblies 300 and 302 of a trunkshaker harvester at two time points, in accordance with one embodiment.At time t₀, rail 320 is in an extended position relative to verticalshafts 308 and 310, while rail 322 is in a retracted position relativeto vertical shafts 309 and 311. Similar to the description above, rail320 may be supported by support connector 332, and support connector 332may be mechanically coupled to vertical shafts 310 and 308, in part, byrail supports 326 and 324, respectively. For ease of illustration,oscillating members have not depicted (but if they were depicted, theywould be located between a vertical shaft and an adjacent rail support).At time t₁ (after vertical shafts 308, 309, 310 and 311 have eachrotated counterclockwise by approximately 10°-30° about their respectivevertical axes), rail 320 is now in a retracted position relative tovertical shafts 308 and 310, while rail 322 is now in an extendedposition relative to vertical shafts 309 and 311.

There are several noteworthy observations regarding the time sequenceillustration of FIG. 7. First, one will notice centerline 301 with a“right” bias at time t₀ and a “left” bias at time t₁. One willunderstand that terms such as “right” and “left” are relative to theposition of a person viewing the harvester. If the person were viewingthe harvester from the front of the harvester, the centerline could havea “right” bias. If the person were viewing the same harvester (unchangedfrom the front view) from the back of the harvester, the centerlinecould have a “left” bias.

Such shifting of the centerline is partially responsible for imparting ashaking motion on a trunk of a crop-bearing plant. For example, if atrunk were located in between rails 320 and 322, rail assemblies 300 and302 progressing in time (and position) from time t₀ to t₁ would impart aforce in the left direction (i.e., negative x direction) on the trunk.More specifically, the x direction may correspond to a directionperpendicular to the path of the harvester. If rail assemblies 300 and302 were to travel in time from time t₁ to t₂ (imagine for the momentthat the arrangement of the rail assemblies at time t₂ were identical tothe arrangement of the rail assemblies at time t₀), rail assemblies 300and 302 would impart a force in the right direction (i.e., positive xdirection) on the trunk. In practice, rail assemblies 300 and 302typically oscillate back and forth between the arrangement in the topportion of FIG. 7 and the arrangement in the bottom portion of FIG. 7,causing a trunk positioned along centerline 301 between rails 320 and322 to be shaken from side-to-side.

Second, one will notice rails 320 and 322 “sliding” in the longitudinaldirection (i.e., in y-axis dimension) relative to one another. Morespecifically, the y-axis dimension may be parallel to the path of theharvester. One will notice, from time t₀ to t₁, rail 322 shifting by anegative number in the y-axis, while rail 320 shifts by a positivenumber in the y-axis. Such “sliding” motion does not appear to bepresent in conventional trunk shakers. Such “sliding” motion may reducethe scarring on the bark (e.g., scarring on bark sometimes called“barking”) due to the rails shaking the trunk (as compared toconventional trunk shakers in which the “sliding” motion is notpresent).

FIG. 8 depicts a time progression of the top view of rail assembly 302,to better appreciate the path traveled by rail 322. On the left portionof FIG. 8, rail 322 is shown progressing from time t₀ to t₁. Theposition of rail 322 at time t₀ is shown in dashed line and the positionof rail 322 at time t₁ is shown in solid line. The midpoint of rail 322is traced over the time progression, showing path 802 traveled by rail322 from time t₀ to t₁. Path 802 may be in the shape of an arc, and maybe located in the x-y plane (i.e., a two-dimensional plane that isperpendicular to vertical shafts 311 and 309). On the right portion ofFIG. 8, rail 322 is shown progressing from time t₁ to t₂. The positionof rail 322 at time t₁ is shown in dashed line and the position of rail322 at time t₂ is shown in solid line. The midpoint of rail 322 istraced over the time progression, showing path 804 traveled by rail 322from time t₁ to t₂. Path 804 may be in the shape of an arc, and may belocated in the x-y plane (i.e., a two-dimensional plane that isperpendicular to vertical shafts 311 and 309). Path 804 may be the sameas path 802, except that path 804 is traversed in the oppositedirection.

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of rail assembly 900 of a trunk shakerharvester (after a conversion process performed on a rod shakerharvester), in accordance with one embodiment. It is understood thatsuch trunk shaker harvester would include a mirror image of railassembly 900, but such mirror image has been omitted for clarity ofillustration. The basic operation of rail assembly 900 is firstdescribed, and following such description, the conversion process isdescribed. In operation, drive support 936 is driven by a drive (notdepicted, similar to drive elements 344, 614, 612, 616 and 346 of FIG.6). Drive support 936 reciprocates vertical shaft 906 about verticalaxis 912. Vertical shaft 906 in turn drives bracket member 928 (i.e.,pivoting bracket member 928 about vertical axis 912). Affixed to bracketmember 928 and bracket member 930 is drive connecting rod 934 whichdrives vertical shaft 908 (i.e., reciprocating vertical shaft 908 aboutvertical axis 914). Affixed to bracket member 928 and bracket member 926is drive connecting rod 932 which drives vertical shaft 904 (i.e.,reciprocating vertical shaft 904 about vertical axis 910).

Vertical shaft 904 may be anchored to the frame of the harvester (notdepicted) by base anchor member 940 and top anchor member 942. Verticalshaft 906 may be anchored to the frame of the harvester by base anchormembers 940 and 938 and/or other anchor members (not depicted). Verticalshaft 908 may be anchored to the frame of the harvester by base anchormember 938 and/or other anchor members (not depicted). Base anchormember 940 and base anchor member 938 may be one integral anchor member,or they may be two separate anchor members.

Oscillating member 916 may be affixed to vertical shaft 904. Oscillatingmember 918 may be affixed to vertical shaft 906. Oscillating member 920may be affixed to vertical shaft 908.

Rail support 922 may be affixed to oscillating member 916 and verticalshaft 904 by bolts and plates (similar to the description of FIG. 4).Rail support 924 may be affixed to oscillating member 920 and verticalshaft 908 by bolts and plates (similar to the description of FIG. 4). Norail support may be affixed to oscillating member 918 and vertical shaft906.

Reciprocation of vertical shaft 904 about vertical axis 910 causes railsupport 922 to pivot about vertical axis 910. Reciprocation of verticalshaft 908 about vertical axis 914 causes rail support 924 to pivot aboutvertical axis 914.

Rail 902 may be mechanically coupled to rail support 922 via dual-pivotfastener 926 (described below in FIG. 10). Rail 902 may be mechanicallycoupled to rail support 924 via single-pivot fastener 928. Single-pivotfastener 928 may constrain the coupling angle between rail 902 and railsupport 922. If a single-pivot fastener were also used to couple rail902 and rail support 922, such single-pivot fastener would need to becarefully chosen (or tailor made) to match the coupling angle imposed bysingle-pivot fastener 928. In contrast, dual-pivot fastener 926 allowsfor a greater range of coupling angles than single-pivot fastener 928.Therefore, dual-pivot fastener 926 allows rail 902 to be coupled to railsupport 922 regardless of the coupling angle (between rail 902 and railsupport 922) imposed by single-pivot fastener 928.

The synchronized pivoting motions of rail supports 922 and 924 in turncauses rail 902 to reciprocate back and forth, similar to the motiondescribed in FIG. 8. It is noted that a rail support is not utilized inrail assembly 900, but rail assembly 900 could be modified to include arail support.

The process for converting a bow rod harvester to the trunk shakerharvester shown in FIG. 9 is now described. First, the bow rod assemblymay be dismantled, leaving (among other components) vertical shaft 906(and its oscillating member 918), vertical shaft 908 (and itsoscillating member 920), bracket member 930, drive connecting rod 934and base anchor member 938. Such dismantling process may includeremoving bow rods (similar to bow rods 210 a-d depicted in FIG. 2), andcertain drive components (depending on the precise drive mechanism ofthe bow rod harvester). If bracket member 928 of the bow rod assemblyalready has two openings (in order to affix two drive connecting rods),bracket member 928 may be left in place. If bracket member 928 of thebow rod assembly were to only have a single opening, bracket member 928would need to be either replaced or modified to have two openings.

After the dismantling process, components are installed. As part of theinstallation process, vertical shaft 904 may installed (anchored by baseanchor member 940 and top anchor member 942). Oscillating member 916 maybe affixed to vertical shaft 904, along with bracket member 926. Driveconnecting rod 932 may be affixed to bracket members 926 and 928. Next,rail support 922 may be mounted on oscillating member 916 and verticalshaft 904 using plates and bolts. Similarly, rail support 924 may bemounted on oscillating member 920 and vertical shaft 908 using platesand bolts. Next, rail 902 may be mechanically coupled to rail support922 using dual-pivot fastener 926 and coupled to rail support 924 usingsingle-pivot fastener 928. Also as part of the installation process,drive support 936 may be secured to vertical shaft 906 and driveelements (not depicted).

Now, having described the operation of rail assembly 900 and theconversion process to arrive at same, the motivation for rail assembly900 is provided. The main feature provided by rail assembly 900 is anincreased spacing between the rail supports, which allows for the use oflonger rails (with decreased risk of rail fracture). To elaborate, rail902 could have been mechanically coupled to vertical shafts 906 and 908,but there would have been a greater separation between at least one ofthe ends of rail 902 and the rail support, allowing more flexing of therails in the transverse direction (with increased risk of railfracture). By increasing the spacing between the rail supports, thedegree to which rail 902 flexes in the transverse direction is reduced,thereby reducing the risk of rail fracture.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of a dual-pivot fastener, inaccordance with one embodiment. For ease of illustration, dual-pivotfastener 926′ is the mirror image of dual-pivot fastener 926 (i.e., thedual-pivot fastener that would be part of the rail assembly, notdepicted, that operates together with rail assembly 900). The maincomponents of dual-pivot fastener 926′ are dual-shaft member 1014 andsocket members 1010 and 1012. Socket member 1010 containscylindrical-shaped opening 1011 through which vertical shaft 1016 isinserted. Socket member 1010 is allowed to pivot about vertical axis1024. Similarly, socket member 1012 contains cylindrical-shaped opening1013 through which vertical shaft 1018 is inserted. Socket member 1012is allowed to pivot about vertical axis 1026. Socket member 1010 ismechanically coupled to rail 902′ and socket member 1012 is mechanicallycoupled to rail support 922′.

There are a number of bolts, nuts, washers and plates to mechanicallycouple the components of FIG. 10, and these coupling mechanism will nowbe described. Bolt 1022 a and washer 1022 b are configured to securevertical shaft 1016 to dual-shaft member 1014. A similar bolt and washer(not labeled) are configured to secure vertical shaft 1018 to dual-shaftmember 1014. Socket member 1010 may be welded to plate 1004; plate 1004may be bolted to plate 1002 via bolt 1020 a, washer 1020 b and nut 1020c; and plate 1002 may be welded to rail 902′. Similarly, socket member1012 may be welded to plate 1006; plate 1006 may be bolted to plate1008; and plate 1008 may be welded to rail support 922′.

FIG. 11 depicts flowchart 1100 of a process to convert a bow rodharvester into a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance with oneembodiment. At step 1102, a first plurality of bow rods may be detachedfrom first and second oscillating members of the bow rod harvester. Atstep 1104, a shaker rail may be mechanically coupled to the first andsecond oscillating members, the shaker rail having at least onesubstantially linear portion adapted to impart a force on a trunk. Thefirst oscillating member may be affixed to a first vertical shaft (whichreciprocates about a first vertical axis) and the second oscillatingmember may be affixed to a second vertical shaft (which reciprocatesabout a second vertical axis). At step 1106, a first drive element whichmechanically couples the first vertical shaft to the second verticalshaft may be removed. At step 1108, a second drive element may bemechanically coupled to the first vertical shaft and the secondoscillating member. The second drive element may be adapted toreciprocate the second oscillating member about the second verticalaxis, wherein a torque imparted by the second drive element on thesecond oscillating member is greater than a torque imparted by the firstdrive element on the second vertical shaft. The second drive element maycomprise a drive support and a drive connecting rod.

FIG. 12 depicts flowchart 1200 of a process to harvest fruit from afruit bearing plant using a trunk shaker harvester, in accordance withone embodiment. At step 1202, the harvester may be moved (e.g., driven)along a path so as to position a rail of the harvester in the proximityof the fruit bearing plant. The path of the harvester may be a straightpath. At step 1204, a reciprocating motion may be imparted (by the drivemechanism described above) to at least one vertical shaft of theharvester causing the rail to move in a path located in atwo-dimensional plane. A first dimension of the two-dimensional planemay be parallel to the path of the harvester and a second dimension ofthe two-dimensional plane may be perpendicular to the path of theharvester. The path of the rail may be an arcuate path, and thetwo-dimensional plane may be perpendicular to an axis of the least onevertical shaft. At step 1206, the rail may impart a force on a trunk ofthe fruit bearing plant so as to dislodge fruit from the fruit bearingplant. A first component of the force may be in the first dimensionparallel to the path of the harvester and a second component of theforce may be in the second dimension perpendicular to the path of theharvester. At step 1208, a fruit collecting mechanism (e.g., platespositioned under the rail assemblies configured to catch and deliver thefruit to a conveyer belt which transports the fruit to a container forstoring the fruit) may collect at least some of the fruit that has beendislodged from the fruit bearing plant.

Now, some motivations for converting a bow rod harvester into a trunkshaker harvester are provided. As explained above, a bow rod harvestermay be better suited to harvest fruit from young vines which could bedamaged or killed by a trunk shaker harvester (e.g., the trunk of youngvines could be severed by a trunk shaker harvester). Therefore, a farmermay purchase a bow rod harvester to harvest fruit from young vines.However, as the vines mature, a trunk shaker harvester may be bettersuited to harvest the fruit, as a trunk shaker harvester can have lessdamage on the canopy of a vine than a bow rod harvester. Ordinarily, thefarmer would need to purchase a trunk shaker harvester at this point ifhe/she does not already have such a harvester available. Techniques inaccordance with the present invention now allow the farmer to convertthe bow rod harvester into a trunk shaker harvester. In many cases, thecost associated with the conversion are significantly lower than thecost of a trunk shaker harvester, which provides an economical incentiveto perform the conversion instead of purchasing a trunk shakerharvester.

There are other scenarios that may arise that would benefit from theability to convert bow rod harvesters into trunk shaker harvesters. Forinstance, bow rod harvesters may be better suited to harvest vinesplanted with a first trellis type, and trunk shaker harvesters may bebetter suited to harvest vines planted with a second trellis type.Suppose a farmer originally plants his/her field with the first trellistype and purchases a bow rod harvester for the harvest of the fruit.Later, suppose the farmer re-plants his/her field with the secondtrellis type. Ordinarily, the farmer would need to purchase a trunkshaker harvester at this point if he/she does not already have such aharvester available. Techniques in accordance with the present inventionnow allow the farmer to convert the bow rod harvester into a trunkshaker harvester.

In yet another scenario, a change of pruning method could also motivatethe conversion of a bow rod harvester into a trunk shaker harvester. Byway of background, there are two typical pruning types: cane pruning orcordon (also called spur) pruning. In cane pruning, every winter (ordormant period), vines are pruned backed into a vertical trunk whichresembles a “cane”. Side branches are pruned to at most a few inchesfrom the vertical trunk. In cordon pruning, every winter (or dormantperiod), vines are pruned backed into a structure having a verticaltrunk and two main horizontal branches which are supported by a trellis.A cordon-pruned vine typically has the shape of a capital “T”.

Cordon-pruned vines can be more susceptible to significant long-termdamage to the vine from a bow rod (or canopy) striker so a trunk shakermight be a better choice for a cordon-pruned vineyard. Suppose a farmerinitially uses cane pruning and uses a bow rod harvester (which issuitable for a cane-pruned vine). Suppose at a later time, the farmerdecides to switch from cane pruning to cordon pruning (allowing twohorizontal branches to develop and mature). At this point, a trunkshaker harvester would be better suited to harvest the grapes.Ordinarily, the farmer would need to purchase a trunk shaker harvesterat this point if he/she does not already have such a harvesteravailable. Techniques in accordance with the present invention now allowthe farmer to convert the bow rod harvester into a trunk shakerharvester.

In yet another scenario, a change in the grape variety could alsomotivate the conversion of a bow rod harvester into a trunk shakerharvester. By way of background, some grape varieties have a skin thatis more resilient (and can be suitably harvested with a bow rodharvester) while other grape varieties have a skin that is more easilybruised, scratched and/or punctured (and would be more suitablyharvested with a trunk shaker harvester). Suppose a farmer initiallyplants a first grape variety with a resilient grape skin and uses a bowrod harvester to harvest the grapes. Suppose at a later time, the farmerdecides to replant his/her field with a second grape variety with a lessresilient grape skin. Ordinarily, once the vines of the second grapevariety mature, the farmer would need to purchase a trunk shakerharvester if he/she does not already have such a harvester available inorder to avoid damaging the skin of the grapes. Techniques in accordancewith the present invention now allow the farmer to convert the bow rodharvester into a trunk shaker harvester.

In yet another scenario, a change in the consumption method (e.g., juiceversus fresh fruit) could also motivate the conversion of a bow rodharvester into a trunk shaker harvester. Suppose a farmer initiallyplants a vineyard with a grape variety suitable for producing juiceand/or wine. A bow rod harvester could be used without concern tobruising or damaging the berries as the berries will be crushed forproduction of juice and/or wine. Suppose at a later time, the farmerreplants his/her vineyard with a table grape variety (meant forconsumption while the grapes are fresh). Ordinarily, once the vines ofthe second grape variety mature, the farmer would need to purchase atrunk shaker harvester if he/she does not already have such a harvesteravailable in order to avoid damaging the table grapes. Techniques inaccordance with the present invention now allow the farmer to convertthe bow rod harvester into a trunk shaker harvester. More generally,switching from a first crop for which integrity of the fruit is notimportant (e.g., almonds) to a second crop for which integrity of thefruit is important (e.g., table grapes) could also motivate theconversion of a bow rod harvester into a trunk shaker harvester.

While much of the description so far has concentrated on converting abow rod harvester into a trunk shaker harvester, it is certainlypossible to extend the techniques described above to convert a trunkshaker harvester into a bow rod harvester (by performing the conversionprocess in the opposite order). There are certainly reasons forperforming this reverse conversion. For example, a mature vines (bettersuited for a trunk shaker harvester) might be replanted with a youngvines (better suited for a bow rod harvester) as the yield of the maturevines decreases. Likewise, the second trellis type (better suited for atrunk shaker harvester) might be replaced with the first trellis type(better suited for a bow rod harvester).

While much of the description so far has concentrated on converting abow rod harvester with four oscillating members, it is possible toconvert a bow rod harvester with a greater or a fewer number ofoscillating members. For example, in a bow rod harvester with sixoscillating members (three oscillating members on each side of theharvester), each rail assembly could be mechanically coupled to threeoscillating members. For example, in a bow rod harvester with twooscillating members (one oscillating member on each side of theharvester), each rail assembly could be mechanically coupled to oneoscillating member (e.g., two rail supports couple a rail to a singleoscillating member).

While it may be desirable to convert a bow rod harvester into a trunkshaker harvester (and vice versa), it may also be desirable to add railassemblies onto a bow rod harvester (in a process similar to thatdescribed above, but without removing the bow rods), therebytransforming the bow rod harvester into a dual bow rod and trunk shakingharvester. Similarly, it may also be desirable to add bow rods onto atrunk shaker harvester (without removing the rails), therebytransforming the trunk shaker harvester into a dual trunk shaker and bowrod harvester.

While the preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it willbe understood that there is no intent to limit the invention by suchdisclosure, but rather, is intended to cover all modifications andalternate constructions falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A method for converting a bow rod harvester into atrunk shaker harvester, the method comprising: detaching a firstplurality of bow rods from a first oscillating member of the bow rodharvester, wherein the first oscillating member is configured toreciprocate about a first vertical axis of a first vertical shaft; andmechanically coupling a shaker rail to the first oscillating member, theshaker rail having at least one substantially linear portion adapted toimpart a force on a trunk, thereby converting the bow rod harvester intothe trunk shaker harvester.
 12. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: detaching the first plurality of bow rods from a secondoscillating member of the bow rod harvester, wherein the secondoscillating member is configured to reciprocate about a second verticalaxis of a second vertical shaft; and mechanically coupling the shakerrail to the second oscillating member.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein in the bow rod harvester, the first vertical shaft ismechanically coupled to the second vertical shaft via a first driveelement such that reciprocation of the first vertical shaft about thefirst vertical axis causes the second vertical shaft to reciprocateabout the second vertical axis, the method further comprising: removingthe first drive element.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:mechanically coupling a second drive element to the second oscillatingmember, the second drive element adapted to reciprocate the secondoscillating member about the second vertical axis.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein a torque imparted by the second drive element on thesecond oscillating member is greater than a torque imparted by the firstdrive element on the second vertical shaft.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein the second drive element is positioned at a higher verticalposition than the first drive element.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the second drive element comprises a drive support and a driveconnecting rod, the drive connecting rod is mechanically coupled to thedrive support, the drive support is mechanically coupled to the secondoscillating member, and the drive support pivots about the secondvertical axis.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the shaker rail ismechanically coupled to the first oscillating member by at least a firstrail support and is mechanically coupled to the second oscillatingmember by at least a second rail support.
 19. The method of claim 11,wherein the trunk is one of a grape vine trunk, an almond tree trunk, acitrus tree trunk, a raspberry plant trunk, and a coffee plant trunk.20. (canceled)